Today on Bytemarks Café, we'll find out how drones are being used by botany researchers to find new native plant communities. We'll learn how these unmanned aerial systems with high resolution cameras are able to identify the rarest plants in very remote areas.

One of Hawai‘i’s oldest and most culturally important native trees is under siege from a mysterious disease. So far more than 34,000 acres of ‘ōhi‘a trees have died, and it's left scientists scrambling for a solution. HPR’s Molly Solomon visited the Big Island forest where it all began.

About 40 minutes south of Hilo, in the Leilani Estates subdivision in lower Puna, is what scientists are calling ground zero for Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death.

Hawaiʻi has been called by some 'the endangered species capital of the world', but it may not be known as such for long. There is a group of people working to stem the tide of plant species loss in the islands. They are the men and women of the Plant Extinction Prevention Program.

Invasive species threaten the well being of native flora and fauna. This threat takes many forms, a fungus, a disease, a plant or animal. The legacy of the presence of invasive species is felt across the islands. On Hawai'i island, the Big Island Invasive Species Committee is conducting outreach and education projects, and building strategies to combat invasive species.

The ʻōhiʻa tree is a statewide symbol of Hawaiʻi's forests. Over the past five years, ʻōhiʻa appear to be dying rapidly and under mysterious circumstances from a microscopic enemy. By limiting the transport of diseased woods, we can stop the disease making its way to other islands.

Prized for its beautiful wood product, koa is one of the most valuable woods on the planet. Restoring koa forests is a profitable practice. Economics, in part, is driving the conservation and restoration of this legendary tree.

The designation of state flower would lead one to believe that the Hawaiian Hibiscus is prolific amongst the Hawaiian Islands. In fact, the populations of these plants are staggeringly small. The primary reason: habitat degradation.

Sandalwood, prized for its mystical powers of healing, is used in ritual proceedings and alternative medicine across Asia. In Hawaiʻi, trade in this valuable wood brought about the collapse of tree populations by 1830. While the sandalwood trade is long gone, a surviving sandalwood forest exists in a 120,000 acre region on the island of Hawaiʻi.

The Hawaiʻi Public Seed Initiative aims to improve, increase, and promote biodiversity of crops across the state. By working with local communities, farmers, and gardeners, the Initiative aims to grow, harvest, store, and improve the very best seeds that thrive in Hawaiʻi. This will ensure that local producers can continue to provide locally grown -- not flown -- produce for island dinner tables.

The Kaʻu coast on the southwestern corner of the Hawaiʻi island is one of the largest and most intact expanse of native forest in the state. This Kaʻu Preserve is home to many rare plants and endangered forest birds. Local communities and landowners are doing their part to protect the forest.

The banking of seeds is a vital tool in the campaign to protect Hawaiʻi's forests. Hawaʻi Forest Institute's Hawaiʻi Island Native Seed Bank specializes in rare, threatened, and endangered species. This genetic safety net will provide native species with a valuable insurance policy.

There are a number of private nurseries in the state which contribute to preserving the rich natural tapestry of Hawaiʻi's forests. They can scale up their nursery operations, supplying vast numbers of plants for use in crisis situations.

A large portion of the land mass of Hawaiʻi Island, is contained on the slopes of the tallest mountain in the world, Mauna Kea. The mountain is host to a variety of ecosystems, stretching from the coastal waters, to the arid aeolian desert of the summit area.

Nestled atop of the lush Mānoa Valley watershed, there is the Lyon Arboretum. It is located a mere five miles from the bustling crowds and noise of Waikīkī. The Arboretum itself serves as a scientific and cultural resource for Oʻahu's mostly urban population.

The task of restoring Hawaiʻi's forests is nothing short of monumental. To truly make a difference in protecting precious island ecosystem it requires substantial financial investment, expenditure in manhours and a logistical train of plant materials, and support for volunteers, students, and professional scientists.

The Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance is composed of twenty organizations, including governmental, cultural, educational, and nonprofit. Their mission is to safeguard the biodiversity of Hawaiʻi's ecosystems.

Carbon reduction is a frequently mentioned topic in today's society. Society faces the specter of climate change and the consequences brought about by years of the unrestrained burning of fossil fuels. But what can we do here in Hawaiʻi to combat climate change?

Scientists say a disease killing hundreds of thousands of ‘ōhi‘a trees on Hawaii's Big Island is spreading. Recent aerial surveys show the acreage of infected trees has more than doubled in the past two years. State, county and federal agencies collaborated to conduct the surveys by helicopter last month. The fungal disease, called Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death, was found in 34,000 acres of ‘ōhi‘a forest. Rob Hauff is the Forest Health Coordinator with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Hundreds of thousands of native ohia trees are dying off because of a new fungus. The disease is spreading across the Big Island and state officials are hoping to contain it before it reaches other islands. HPR’s Molly Solomon reports.

Hawai‘i is home to over 12,000 native plant species, with 90% found nowhere else in the world. Hundreds of these plants are endangered and teeter on the brink of extinction. HPR's Molly Solomon reports on a science lab at the center of a conservation effort that's working to save some of Hawai’i’s rarest native plants.